Feeding and aligning mechanism for an autographic register



J. E. EUTH Jan. 8, 1957 FEEDING AND ALIG NING MECHNISM FOR AN AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1 953 HIM I 4 war/jab Jan. 8, 1957 EUTH 2,776,834

FEEDING AND ALIGNING MECI-INISM FOR AN AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Filed July 3, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIEE.

FEEDING AND ALIGQIIING MECHNISM FOR AN AUTOGRAPHIG REGISTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 3, 1953 FIEE H r I 1 20 l Z5 United States Patent FEEDING ALIGNING MECHANISM FOR AN AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER John E.,Euth, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Uarco, Incorporated, a corporation of Illinois Application July s, 1953, Serial No. 366,010 Claims. (Cl. 271--2.6)

This invention relates to autographic registers using continuous form stationery strips, and more particularly to an improved mechanism for feeding an aligning superposed strips of continuous form stationery used in a register. These registers commonly have a supply compartment for the continuous form stationery and a record compartment to preserve a carbon copy ofthe stationery forms used. V

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement for engaging punch holes'in each form length of continuous form stationery strips to register each successive form length in place upon the platen of the register.

Another object is to provide an improve arrangement for engaging punch holesin each form length of stationery to initiate the feeding of the used form length, and to complete the registering of the next form length on the platen.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary broken top plan view of the register; I

Fig. 2 a fragmentary broken end elevational vie taken partly in section as indicated on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated on line 3--3 of Fig. 2 showing the finger portions in register with the punch holes of a stationery form;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated I on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, a fragmentary sectional view also taken as indicated on line 44 of Fig. 2 and showing the narrow feed disc in another position during rotation;

Fig. 6, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated on line 6--6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated on line 7-7 of Fig. 2.

In the embodiment illustrated, the autographic register includes a housing 8 forming a front compartment for record copy strips of stationery, and a cover 9 enclosing the compartment and secured in position by a suitable locking member 10. The platen 11 covers a rear supply compartment for the stationery strips andserves as a smooth writing surface over which the strips may slide during an operation of the register.

The handle 12 rotates the drive shaft 13 to provide an actuating means for the form-feeding mechanism. The upper feed roll 14 is driven from the shaft 13 through the gears 15 and 16. The upper feed roll 14 has knurled bands 17 which cooperate with lower feed discs 18 in advancing the strips over the platen. The narrow feed discs 18 are secured to the shaft 13 and contact the under side of the advancing strip in alignment with the punch holes 19. Thus movement of the crank handle 12 rotates the upper roll and lower feed discs and frictionally advances the strip across the platen. The forward advance of a strip 35 over the platen by the feed discs during a single operation of the crank is 1 2 halted when the punch holes 19 in the strips pass between the bite of the feed roll and the discs.

The gear 15 is provided with a stud 20 which snaps into the notch 21 of the spring-urged lever ami 22 to assure that the gear 15 makes exactly one rotation-each time the handle member is operated. Additional pressure on the crank handle will release the latch and permit the next full turn of the gear.

Each of the narrow lower feed discs has an arm 23 pivoted to it by acap screw 24 near its outer periphery.

A finger or feed pin 25 at one end of the arm 23 is adapted toproject through a punch hole 19 in a stationery strip as the next fornireaches writing position. The arm 23 has a cam'riding portion or shoe 26, and the opposite end of the arm is connected by' a tension spring 27 to a stud 28 on the disc. The shoe rides on a stationary cam 29 which is mounted upon the bracket "30 secured to the underside-of the platen. As seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the cam 29 has a flat portion 31.

An upper feed roll cover 32 provides bearings for the upper feed roll, and when the cover is lifted, it exposes the depressible loading pins 33, the fingers 25 projecting through the punch holes in the stationery strip. When the cover 32 is closed, the loading pins are depressed by the'feed roll, but the fingers 25 remain within the punch holes.

Whenthe'feed mechanism is actuated, the lower feed discs start their rotation causing the shoes 26 on the arms 23'to ride off the flat portions 31 of the cams 29against the tension of the springs 27 and retracting the fingers 25 to a position within the periphery of the feed discs, as shown in Fig. 5. Before being totally withdrawn, the fingers have a slight forward movement in contact with the front edge of a punch hole to initiate the advance of the stationery into the grip of the rolls. When the upper feed roll and lower feed discs are about to enter the punch holes in the next succeeding form length of stationery; slightly b'efore completion of a feeding operation, the shoes ride onto the flat portions 31 on the cams 29, and allow the fingers 25 to spring upwardly against the under side of projections 34 on the platen 11. As the feed is completed, the fingers 25 ride out from under the projections 34 of the platen 11, andinto the next punch holes. This aligns the superposed strips and completes their forward advancement.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications Will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In an autographic register having a platen over which a series of sets of superposed form lengths in continuous strips and provided with aligned punch holes may be drawn, a feed mechanism for successively advancing individual sets of form lengths into writing position comprising: a feed roll and narrow feed disc each journaled in the register and mutually cooperating to draw one set of form lengths out of writing position and advance the next set of form lengths toward writing position with each operation of the register, said feed roll and feed disc being positioned so as to frictionally grip portions of said one set of form lengths which are in longitudinal alignment with the punch holes in each of the sets of form lengths and advance said next adjacent set of form lengths to a position in which its aligned punch holes are between the grip of the feed roll and feed disc; an arm pivotally secured to and movable with the feed disc during each operation of the register, said arm having a cam following portion on one end and a finger on the other end, said finger being rockable to the position extending outwardly of the feed disc periphery; and a fixed cam mounted adjacent the feed disc and cooperating with said cam following portion of the arm permitting said finger to move outwardly of the feed disc periphery in timed relation to the advance of the next adjacent set of form lengths whereby said finger projectsthrough the aligned punch holes of said. next adjacent set of form lengths when the punch holes are positioned between the grip of said feed roll and feed disc, said finger completing the forward advancement of the next adjacent set of form lengths into writing position and conditioning said next adjacent set of form lengths for the next successive feeding operation of the register.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the cam following. portion is normally spring. urged against the cam, and the cam is shaped to disengage the cam following portion and permit the finger of the arm to ride in contact with the under side of the platen and then spring upwardly into an aligned punch hole to align superposed strips and to complete their forward advancement.

3. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the cam is shaped to maintain the finger of the arm in a punch hole at the start of each feeding operation.

4. In an autographic register having a platen over which a series of sets of superposed form lengths in continuous strips and provided with aligned punch holes may be drawn, a feed mechanism for successively advancing individual sets of form lengths into writing position comprising: a feed roll and a pair of narrow feed discs each journaled in the register and mutually cooperating with the feed roll to draw one set of form lengths out of writing position and advance the next set of form lengths toward writing position with each operation of the register, said feed roll and feed discs being positioned so as to grip portions of said one set of form lengths which are in longitudinal alignment with punch holes in each of the sets of form lengths and advance said next adjacent set of form lengths to a position in which its aligned punch holes are between the grip of the feed roll with each of the feed discs; an arm pivotally secured to and movable with each feed disc during each operation of the register, said arm having a cam following portion on one end and a finger on the other end, said finger being rockable to a position extending outwardly of each feed disc periphery; a fixed cam mounted adjacent to each feed disc and cooperating with the cam following portion of each arm permitting each of the fingers to move outwardly of its respective feed disc periphery in timed relation to the advance of the next adjacent set of form lengths whereby each finger projects through the aligned punch holes of said next adjacent set of form lengths when the punch holes are positioned between the grip of said feed roll with each of the feed discs, said fingers completing the forward advancement of the next adjacent set of form lengths into writing position and conditioning said next adjacent set of form lengths for the next successive feeding operation of the register.

5. In an autographic register, a feed roll and narrow feed disc each journaled in the register and mutually cooperating to frictionally advance superposed strips provided with aligned punch holes over a platen, said feed roll and feed disc being positioned to grip portions of said strips which are in longitudinal alignment with said punch holes, a feed pin having an arm pivotally secured to the feed disc and a spring for urging said feed pin outwardly of the periphery of the feed disc; and a cam member for retracting said pin, and shaped to release the pin under the influence of said spring into one of said aligning punch holes as said punch hole advances to a position between the grip of the feed roll and feed disc, said feed pin abutting the forward edge of the strips at the successive punch holes to carry the strip forward into the grip of the feed roll and feed disc whereby friction feed of said strips may be resumed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,386,709 Jensen Aug. 9, 1921 1,651,456 Jensen Dec. 6, 1927 1,658,723 Jensen Feb. 7, 1928 2,112,833 Dybvig Apr. 5, 1938 2,271,306 Nichols Jan. 27, 1942 2,401,596 Winter June 4, 1946 2,501,873 Oliver Mar. 28, 1950 2,516,899 Metzner Aug. 1, 1950 2,626,146 Goetz et a1, Jan. 20, 1953 

